Beautiful Nightmare
by DGMfreak5
Summary: Edgeworth's thoughts after being found innocent of murder. "Every night, I would awake, panting, sweating bullets. Repeating to myself. 'It wasn't real. This is only a dream, nothing more' Looking back, it was this that kept me from losing my sanity."


_AN: Takes place after the 4th case in PW: AA. I do not own Ace Attorney or any of the characters; they're Capcom's. Contains small amounts of Phoenix/Miles but can be read as friendship._

_Please let me know how I did! Inspired by replaying the Gourdy/DL-6 case. _

_Also, a question for you all. Should this be left as a one-shot or should I make it into a multi-chapter fic. I have an idea for a long fic in my head, but I want YOUR opinion. So please, let me know in your review._

_Thanks to Bessie for catching some grammatical errors! _

Nightmare. That's all it was, right? Just a dream, a figment of an imagination riddled with unsolved questions and traumatic experiences. That's what I told myself. But there was always that lingering guilt that gnawed at me. Was it really I who killed my father?

I couldn't remember. And that was the most frightening aspect of the ordeal. I had no idea. It was quite possible, even logical that my dream could be real. Perhaps I had suppressed the memory of my guilt and now it was trying to return to me through my sub-conscious mind? Perhaps it was more than a dream? There was quite a possibility that it could be completely factual.

I was a foolish coward. I should have turned myself over to the police. That was the smart thing to do, the logical thing to do. The thing I should have known to do as a prosecutor. But I could never bring myself to admit to it.

That dream had haunted me for 15 years and it was only my belief or even that small voice in my head that cried, "This is only a dream, nothing more!" that kept me sane. That kept me from running to the police. That kept me from breaking down.

Every night, I would awake, panting, sweating bullets. Repeating to myself. "It wasn't real. This is only a dream, nothing more!" Looking back, it was this that kept me from losing my sanity.

Why I told that defense lawyer, Phoenix Wright all this, I had no idea. I hadn't wanted him to know about any of this, which is why I initially refused to allow him to defend me. But he was adamant, and as I somehow knew he would, he discovered it. The DL-6 incident. And so, I told him. But even then, I made him wait. Only later did I find the courage to reveal my nightmare.

That dream that plagued me. And the quite real possibility that I was a murderer. It would be classified as accident murder, as I _had_ been throwing the gun to my father to help him and had no intention of killing him. But it was murder all the same. And this was coming from the man who wanted to make sure no criminals walked free. God, I was such a coward, such a spineless fool. How could I expect to follow that pledge when I was a criminal as well?

I knew my mentor would bring it up in court. It was unavoidable. But, I had not even considered the possibility that Phoenix Wright that incredibly simple, novice defense attorney who I hadn't been friends with since 4th grade, would win. I did not believe that he cared about me. And why would he? I had been a bastard to him, a jerk to him in court and outside it. The only thing I had done for him recently was aid him a little in the Will Powers case. But it was still reasonable for me to assume that he would believe me guilty too once he found out the horrors of my past and the situation behind my father's death.

I hadn't counted on his belief that I was innocent. And once I saw that, in those blue eyes that were so determined, so passionate, I remembered Phoenix Wright hadn't changed in those 15 years since we were in school together. Once he believed in something, or someone, he was convinced.

I thought this belief would be his downfall, that he would be unable to defeat my mentor. After all, Manfred von Karma hadn't been defeated in 40 years. It all seemed so hopeless. And I was ready to admit it, to listen to the slam of the gavel and the world guilty. The buzz of the court, the bailiff leading me away, and a stay in a prison cell.

It almost happened once. That lucky idiot was ready to admit defeat when Larry Butz, the fool, actually did something right. But now I own him which is rather annoying. And that girl, Ms. Fey. She took a blow for Phoenix and ended up in contempt of court. That saved us once again. I ended up paying her bail. Even though I know the both of them did these things for Phoenix, because they are his friends, and that it wasn't for me in the least, I still found them to be acts of compassion, and deeds done in my favor at least.

And after that, it was all that man's doing. Phoenix Wright; the man I never thought I'd see again. It was a shock to see him in court that first time. I recognized the name, but didn't want to believe it. But after I saw him in court, babbling and relying on silly questions and guessing work to pull through by a hair, I knew it was the same Wright. The same big hearted, sarcastic, courageous and simple minded man I remembered from my childhood. And it was due to him that I am not in a jail cell now, and that now, when those nightmares come, I can say with confidence, "It wasn't real. This is only a dream, nothing more!"

And it was due to him, that my ice cold heart and my aloof façade began to melt.


End file.
